Zanzibar Attack: Acid Thrown on Two Visiting British Teachers

On the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania, two British women volunteering as teachers were attacked Thursday when two men on a motorcycle threw acid on them.

The injured women were one week away from returning home, according to CNN. Katie Gee, 18, and Kirstie Trup, 18, were given first aid for acid injuries to their faces, chests, and hands on Zanzibar. They were transferred to a hospital on Tanzania’s mainland and have since been discharged, CNN said.

Gee and Trup were on an i-to-i trip, an organization that arranges for people to volunteer while traveling, CNN said. On i-to-i’s website, the Stone Town, Tanzania, trip is advertised for two to six weeks to teach on the island and is described as “sun-drenched Zanzibar, hidden cleverly in the Indian Ocean and truly away from it all, you will have plenty of opportunity to get in your teaching and tanning time.”

CNN said a statement from the Zanzibar government called the event a “tragedy,” and said something like this hasn’t happened before against a foreign visitor. The statement offered a $6,000 reward (10 million shillings) for anyone able to help with apprehending the individuals responsible.

The statement also said attacks like this could harm the tourism industry, which is of critical importance to the island, and that the government would “regulate the purchase of acid and other related products,” CNN said.

The attack occurred in Stone City, a historic district central to Zanzibar. The area has seen some extremist Islamist conflict.

Another acid attack occurred on mainland Tanzania in July against an Arab businessman, the news site said.